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The new issue of Angel & Faith, guest-starring Harmony and Clem, despite being a fun comedy issue, includes some serious considerations, including one big and significant retcon of events from #35 of season 8, which has upset many people who see it as an attempt to whitewash Angel for his actions as Twilight.
Ironically, many at the same time believe that the retcon doesn't make Angel as Twilight look any better, or even makes him looks worse.
So is it really whitewashing then? Or just an attempt to make more sense of Angel's motives and characterization in season 8, which this retcon does do? I'm not going to try to guess what the writer's intention was. Instead I'm going to look at just the issue itself.
It's possible to look at Angel's interactions with Harmony as an attempt to whitewash Angel and show how awesome he is. But... if we assume that this is the intent, it really doesn't work - except for people who were already thinking that Angel was the hero just because he had "good intentions" and thought he was saving the world, because "the end justifies the means".
In fact, I think that, out of the last 6 issues Angel has been in (counting #40), this one makes him look the worst and shows him as someone who still needs to learn from his mistakes.
Christos Gage is either a really good writer, or he's a very naive writer who writes simple stuff that comes off as wonderfully subversive by accident. I don't know, and I won't try to guess.
( Read more... )
Ironically, many at the same time believe that the retcon doesn't make Angel as Twilight look any better, or even makes him looks worse.
So is it really whitewashing then? Or just an attempt to make more sense of Angel's motives and characterization in season 8, which this retcon does do? I'm not going to try to guess what the writer's intention was. Instead I'm going to look at just the issue itself.
It's possible to look at Angel's interactions with Harmony as an attempt to whitewash Angel and show how awesome he is. But... if we assume that this is the intent, it really doesn't work - except for people who were already thinking that Angel was the hero just because he had "good intentions" and thought he was saving the world, because "the end justifies the means".
In fact, I think that, out of the last 6 issues Angel has been in (counting #40), this one makes him look the worst and shows him as someone who still needs to learn from his mistakes.
Christos Gage is either a really good writer, or he's a very naive writer who writes simple stuff that comes off as wonderfully subversive by accident. I don't know, and I won't try to guess.
( Read more... )
